Yordan Alvarez Wins Three Awards, Makes All-MLB First Team
Yordan Alvarez wins the Hank Aaron Award, Comeback Player and Outstanding DH honors while making the 2026 All-MLB First Team.
World Baseball News Editorial Team , 2 min read 
Yordan Alvarez turned his comeback from a fractured left hand into one of the most decorated seasons of his career, collecting three major honors and a place on the All-MLB First Team at the 2026 MLB Awards.
The Houston Astros slugger won the American League Hank Aaron Award, was named AL Comeback Player of the Year and became the first Astro to receive the Edgar Martinez Outstanding Designated Hitter Award. He was also selected as the designated hitter on the All-MLB First Team.
Alvarez’s healthy season produced career-best power
Alvarez played a career-high 158 games and led Major League Baseball in batting average, on-base percentage and slugging percentage with a .316/.432/.601 line. He hit a career-best 42 home runs, drove in 106 runs and finished with a 1.033 OPS and 181 wRC+.
No other qualified hitter posted an OPS above 1.000. Alvarez also led MLB with 109 walks and became only the third player since 1970 to win the American League batting title while hitting at least 40 home runs, joining Miguel Cabrera and Aaron Judge.
His production carried particular weight after a difficult 2025 season. A fractured left hand limited Alvarez to 48 games, ending a run of three straight All-Star selections and leaving Houston without its most dangerous left-handed bat for much of the year.
In 2026, availability changed the scale of his impact. Even his least productive full month still produced an .872 OPS, and he posted an OPS above 1.000 in every other month except May, when he nevertheless hit eight home runs.
Alvarez ends Ohtani’s Outstanding DH streak
The Outstanding Designated Hitter honor had belonged to Shohei Ohtani for five consecutive seasons. Alvarez became the first new winner since 2020 and the first player in Astros history to take the award.
In 134 games used exclusively as Houston’s designated hitter, Alvarez batted .305 with a .422 on-base percentage, a .575 slugging percentage, 34 home runs and 83 RBIs. His broader offensive season also earned the Hank Aaron Award, which combines fan voting with ballots from Hall of Famers and previous winners.
Alvarez remains a finalist for the American League MVP Award, which will be announced Thursday night. Whatever that result, his four honors already complete a clear comeback arc: from a 48-game injury season to the most productive and durable year of his career.
